Gov. Bill Haslam used West Wilson Middle School as the backdrop Thursday to announce Tennessee leads the nation in education improvement in 2013.

"No state has ever shown the gains made this year in the 10-year history of all 50 states taking the [National Assessment of Educational Progress] tests," Haslam tweeted during the event.

According to data released Thursday, Tennessee showed a 21.8-percent growth rate, which state officials said is the No. 2 fastest growth rate recorded on NAEP since 2003. Indiana was second this year with a 14.67-percent increase.